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† the glass factory. †
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#@¶@%†;»,, several centuries after it had last ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, belonged to us, we went on an outing to ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, the glass factory that bore our family ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, name. it had changed owners many times ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, since our ancestors death, and then ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, stood abandoned for a long while. ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, finally, the natural end station for ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, the buildings that survive: a museum, ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, and a gift shop. ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, there's a long time since my family ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, made anything. by many, we would be ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, considered poor. ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, there are two main factory buildings, ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, domed things of several floors, made in ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, reminescent of some cathedral. ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, custom-made glass, of course, large and ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, practical. on the eastern building, ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, some are shattered. ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, the other one is publicly open. there's ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, a museum, with wax figures of my great ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, great great grandfather, or something. ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, various tools (or replicas) laid out on ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, tables, with explaining texts. a lot of ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, glass of varying thickness. ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, †† ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, †† †† ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, »»»»»»» † † »»»»»»» ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, †† †† ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, †† ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, i quickly sneak out, and climb into the ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, other building. the contrast is ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, overwhelming. it must have stood ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, derelict for a long time, windows ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, broken, metallic trash and pools of ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, dark glass all over the floor. no ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, electric lights, but i can see by the ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, light that shines in wherever the dark ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, windows are missing a pane. ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, however, the greatest difference is the ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, higher floors: this building has none. ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, it is one massive hall, stretching away ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, infinitely above me. somewhere up there ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, is some great iron latticework, from ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, where chains are suspended, and parts ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, of machinery has been falling down. ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, there is, in the middle of the great ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, hall, a thin spiral staircase that ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, leads up there. i sneak over there, and ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, take a few reluctant steps. after just ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, a revolution, i notice that for each ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, step the building starts to glow, the ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, bricks turning a dark red, and then ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, orange, all the piled up debree being ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, lit from behind. ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, i stop ready to run down and out, but ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, there's someone else on the staircase ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, with me now, pressed close. he's ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, looking like me, short hair and thin ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, arms, but with ears from some animal, ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, and more disturbingly, completely made ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, of dark liquid glass. ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, †† ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, †† †† ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, »»»»»»» † † »»»»»»» ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, †† †† ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, †† ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, my fear holds me in place while he ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, starts operating levers and dials set ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, in the center of the staircase. slowly, ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, it starts spinning, circling upwards. ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, it's an elevator! i start to run ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, downwards, but now the liquid boy ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, creature grabs hold of me. i try to ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, shake him off, but he's too strong, and ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, pulls me back up beside him. ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, this time, i turn angry instead. what ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, the hell? who is this guy, acting like ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, this? i reach out my free arm and slam ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, a random lever. some metal bar is ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, suddenly released between us, hitting ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, him on the arm, forcing my release. i ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, shove him off of me, and he falls into ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, the levers, messing them up. ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, immediately, a thin rusty chainmail ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, curtain is dropped around me. but the ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, elevator also speeds up significantly. ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, the walls are flaring now, yellow, ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, white, almost blue. i close my eyes and ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, curl into a ball. but then, the glass ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, boy screams, a piercing sound that ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, forces my eyes back open. i watch as he ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, becomes too liquid, his body pooling ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, down in his now massive tail, and the ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, drop that falls toward the factory ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, floor. ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, he's crawling on the stairs, unable to ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, keep his body upright. can't reach the ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, levers, claws at my chainmail cage, ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, while his body is turning into dark ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, pearls. finally, he's lost too much of ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, himself and the scream is cut short. ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, the last of him rains down. ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, i still can't reach the levers from ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, within my cage. looking up, i try to ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, make out the ceiling, but it's all a ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, whirling sea of colours. below me glows ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, the hellfire of the factory walls, but ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, very faint. i sit down, curl back up, ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, become still. ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, †† ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, †† †† ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, »»»»»»» † † »»»»»»» ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, †† †† ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, †† ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, ,,,,,,»;†%
†;»,,,,,,, a large clunk shakes my entire body, ,,,,,,,»;†
;»,,,,,,,, and snaps me back into reality. i'm ,,,,,,,,»;
»,,,,,,,,, back at the factory floor, but the ,,,,,,,,,»
,,,,,,,,,, stairs are still moving slightly, ,,,,,,,,,,
»,,,,,,,,, clicking in place, carrying me the last ,,,,,,,,,»
;»,,,,,,,, few centimeters. i came from below, ,,,,,,,,»;
†;»,,,,,,, somehow. the chainmail is retracted, ,,,,,,,»;†
%†;»,,,,,, and i slowly dismount the stairs. ,,,,,,»;†%
@%†;»,,,,, ,,,,,»;†%@
¶@%†;»,,,, shaking and crying, i make my way over ,,,,»;†%@¶
@¶@%†;»,,, the factory floor, wading through dark ,,,»;†%@¶@
#@¶@%†;»,, glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ,,»;†%@¶@#
@¶@%†;»,,, i see there's something faint inside ,,,»;†%@¶@
¶@%†;»,,,, them. embryos? are these eggs? ,,,,»;†%@¶
@%†;»,,,,, ,,,,,»;†%@
%†;»,,,,,, i shudder, and climb back out. ,,,,,,»;†%
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